


And This One's For You

by prince_zale



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Musician, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Getting Together, Multi, Rock Band AU, Slow Burn, musician au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23605684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prince_zale/pseuds/prince_zale
Summary: Born from a random ass set of tweets, I bring you the KageHina musician AU thing of your dreams.Original tweet: “ Musician AU where Hinata is the front man for his band The Crows. They dress all grungy. He plays electric guitar and sings. Imagine sweaty boy in sleeveless shirt, flannel tied around the waist. Skinny jeans and docs. Pushing his hair back while he rocks out. Hot.”So this is that, feat. me channeling my Hinata thirst and projecting it onto Kageyama.You’re welcome, I guess?
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 12
Kudos: 62





	1. Just the Act of Making Noise

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Brittie (@darlin_stardust on Twitter) for kinda beta-ing and helping me with naming this monster. She is also responsible for Waffles the Pomeranian. I love you babe!
> 
> This is going to be a slow burn, long fic. Right now, rated T, but ratings and warnings may change as the fic goes along.
> 
> Chapter title from To Noise Making (Sing) by Hozier.
> 
> The lyrics featured in this particular chapter are from Family by Mother Mother.

It was a blustery winter night, snow swirling in the amber street lights before settling on the damp pavement. The glow of the city reflected on the clouds, a flush of coral through the night sky. The work crowd hurried home, to their second jobs, to the bars, to their lovers on the side, all tucked up in their thick winter coats, scarves wrapping around faces, making them unrecognizable beyond that they were all human and trying to beat the cold. 

Tobio was one such human, hastening through the streets, tugging his scarf tighter and his hat lower. Somewhere on this thoroughfare, tucked away between two looming multi-story buildings, was the bar he was looking for. The bar he’d attended last Friday night, where he’d found himself beholding an Adonis on the small stage set in the back corner. Where he’d first glimpsed strawberry locks pushed back messily from sticky skin. Where he’d first witnessed golden eyes crinkled with a self-satisfied smile. Where he’d first heard the dulcet tones of the man’s voice, waltzing through the air, accompanied by the cordial timbre of the guitar and bass, the delicate tinkling of the keyboard, and the clamor of the drums behind. 

The way it touched him, like the shock from sticking a fork in the wall outlet, shaking him to his core. The only thing that had affected him nearly as much was his love for everything volleyball - playing, watching, learning - whatever he could get his hands on, he was obsessed. With this band - The Crows - he had a new obsession. He wanted to attend every show, to learn all the lyrics to their songs, to own every piece of merchandise they offered.

His eyes scanned the avenue, trying to find that little dive, skipping over the different business names and store fronts, frantic in their search. He almost glanced over it, and he felt his heart skip a beat when he realized he almost missed it. There it was, right across the street, looking just as run down as it had the first time he visited. He couldn’t say what had dragged him through the doors that first time, but he was grateful for whatever it was. The orange neon sign read “The View” and scribbled on the window beneath the neon in black window marker read “From the Top”. Painted beside the neon and the handwritten text was a motif of a mountain. Tobio remembered thinking it was kind of charming, in a way, and he could say that opinion still stood as he opened the door to the place, a soft jingle of bells announcing his presence.

At this time in the day, just after work let out, the bar was still desolate, allowing Tobio to really take in the environment. The bartop was underlit by more orange neon, the black bar stools rooted into oak floors. Bottles of all different types of alcohol sat against a mirrored wall behind the bar while taps dotted the length of it. Against the far left wall there were a handful of booths, each lit only by a strip of white neon along the top of each booth. Near the front of the establishment were three black high top tables, each with two bar stools accompanying it. Tobio couldn’t help running his hand over the top of a table as he passed through the area, grimacing a bit at the stickiness, and wondering what he’d expected it to be if not sticky. He stepped into the area he knew well - the little section of the bar left without any furniture, carved out into a little dance floor that gathered in front of the little stage that took up the right wall right in front of the bartop. 

Just last Friday, he had stood here, swaying with the rest of the crowd, listening to the front man of The Crows sing, “They is my family, they is my family… You fuck with them, you fuck with me,” while he smiled back at his bandmates. He remembered the voices of the bespectacled keyboardist, the freckled drummer, and the blonde bassist girl harmonizing and mingling with the front man’s. It had been clear to Tobio at the time that the song was one of their favorites to perform, with the way they all smiled at each other: The ginger front man with a grin that seemed to take up his whole face, making him look like a child in that moment; the brunet drummer with a smaller, closed eye, blissful smile; the bassist with the little ponytail beaming like she couldn’t believe that she was there, playing with them; even the tall blonde behind the keyboard held a secret little smirk for them, seeming to be the best he could do, but the happiness shined in his eyes. 

A clearing of a throat pulled him from his memories and his attention was drawn to the man who seemed to have appeared behind the bar. He was tall, long brown locks pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, big brown eyes like a puppy that contrasted with the thick goatee framing his face. “Hey there, can I get you anything?” he asked with a warm, friendly tone.

Tobio took a moment to get over his startle, and straightened himself up a bit. “Hello. You wouldn’t happen to know, the band that played here last Friday - The Crows? Will they be returning to play here again soon? Or do you know where they’ll be performing next?”

The man chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, Shouyou will be glad to know the band has a fan. Here, I have some flyers with their performance schedule. All the venues are within the city, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get there. And their website is listed on it, too. They’ll be back here two Fridays from now,” the man held out a small flyer, which Tobio took and looked over. Whoever did their marketing and photography was really good - the flyer had each member of the band looking their best. The front man was the largest photo, taking up the whole length of the flyer - a picture that showed him with his sleeveless tank, leaning into the mic while he sang, making sure to feature the red and white electric guitar he played. 

“Thank you,” Tobio said, nodding to the man. “Is Shoyou their manager?” he asked curiously, picking up the name the man had been dropping.

“Oh, no, sorry, Shouyou is the front man. Sorry if that was unclear. I forget sometimes that people don’t know the bandmates by their individual names,” the man answered, smiling nervously.

Tobio felt butterflies twist and twirl in his tummy, giving him a little thrill. He had a name to go with the face.  _ Shouyou,  _ he mouthed to himself, tasting the name for the first time, and smiling a bit at the way it rolled off his tongue. He looked back up to the man. “That’s okay. Thank you… ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name?”

“Asahi. This is my bar. It’s nice to meet you…?”

“Tobio,” he said, sticking out a hand, which Asahi took and shook. “Nice to meet you too. Thank you for the information. I’ll be here two Friday’s from now,” he promised with a determined nod.

Asahi nodded in return, smiling. “I look forward to it. If you come a bit early, you can probably talk with them, they usually have a bit of time. See you soon, Tobio.”

With that information in mind, Tobio left the bar with a little wave. He walked home only in a little bit of a daze. “Shouyou,” he whispered, grinning at the shiver it sent up his spine.

\--

“Whoa, really?!” Shouyou crowed after Asahi recounted his interaction with the mysterious fan, Tobio, the next morning for them. The four bandmates were seated at the bartop together in the closed bar, being treated to an excellent breakfast from Asahi’s chef and friend, Daichi. They had played late into the night and into the morning at The Iron Wall, and instead of going home, had stumbled back to The View, slightly drunk and raucous. 

“Really, calm down, idiot, it’s just a regular guy. It’s not like it’s someone famous, you don’t have to lose your shit,” Kei said, rolling his eyes before taking a bite of the omelette Daichi prepared for him. 

“I dunno, Tsukki, it’s pretty cool that we have an actual fan, not just another member of the crowd that just happens to be there,” Tadashi said around a mouthful of bacon elbowing his longest term friend in the ribs, making him grunt and glare. “Don’t be a spoil sport.”

“It’s really cool, but… what if we disappoint him? What if I mess up on one of the songs and he starts hating us?” Yachi worried, hands pressed to her cheek in concern, her plate of pancakes forgotten.

“That’ll never happen, Yacchan, you’re too good at bass,” Shouyou brushed off her worry, patting her back with a smile. 

Asahi was smiling too. “He already promised to be here for your next performance here, and he took the flyer with the dates and venues for your other shows.”

“That’s so cool! Wow, I can’t believe we really have a fan…” Shouyou sat back from the bar, an excited shudder going through him. His chocolate chip waffles sat untouched in front of him, forgotten in the commotion of having an actual fan. 

Daichi sighed as he entered from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. “Well you better believe it, and you better eat the damn waffles you begged for before they get cold. You realize chefs send their dishes out at the optimal temperature, Shouyou?” This earned him a guilty grin from the ginger.

“Sorry, Daichi,” he said, not sounding sorry at all, but he did cut into his waffles and start shoveling them into his mouth eagerly. 

“We’ll just have to play even better when we play again at The Iron Wall next week,” Tadashi commented casually. “Make it worth his time.”

Asahi straightened up, taking the towel from Daichi, wiping down behind the bar. “He seemed to perk up when I mentioned meeting you, that could make it worth his time, too,” he suggested.

Shouyou brightened even more at this. “Whoa, we totally could do that! I’d love to meet him,” he said, getting nods of varying agreement from the rest of his bandmates.

“Not that I don’t love you guys and want you here, but it’s getting pretty well into the day. I dunno about you all, but I wanna go home and sleep,” Daichi said, stifling a yawn.

“Me too,” Asahi said with a bit of a guilty look at the band, but they only met him with understanding smiles.

“We’ll finish up and get out of your hair,” Kei said as he finished up his plate. He got up with his plate and disappeared into the kitchen to wash it up.

“Yes. Thank you for having us,” Yachi said, giving a little smile as she hopped down from her stool.

“Here, Yachi, let me get that for you.” Tadashi picked up her plate and stacked it with his, then followed Kei into the kitchen.

“Thank you, Tadashi,” she responded, pulling on her coat. “Shouyou, almost ready?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, shoving the last of his waffles in his face. As he chewed, he also hopped down from his stool. He swallowed and picked up his plate. “Thanks, Daichi,” he said as he passed him into the kitchen. 

While the boys washed up, the others made small talk. “Yachi, how is it coming along with Waffles?” Daichi asked as he pulled on his leather jacket.

“Oh, jeez,” Yachi rolled her eyes as she looped her scarf around her neck and pulled on her mittens. “Potty training her has been harder than Tadashi, Kei and I imagined. She’s also been getting these fits in the middle of the day, barking up a storm for no reason we can really figure. It’s gotten us a couple of complaints from the neighbors, but we can’t just give up on her now.”

“We’re thinking of getting in touch with a trainer. I did some reading and it seems like it might be separation anxiety, maybe,” Tadashi said as he emerged from the kitchen, followed by Shouyou and Kei. He pulled on his own leather jacket, draping his red scarf loosely around his neck, and finally tucking his hair under a pull over hat.

“I think it’s that damn squirrel that lives in the tree outside the complex,” Kei said, donning his black puffy coat, pulling his earmuffs to settle around his neck for the time being, black gloves in his hand to pull on before they went outside.

“Maybe she’s just energetic. You guys are gone most of the night, and sleep most of the day…” Shouyou suggested, struggling to get his head through his hoodie. 

Kei rolled his eyes and begrudgingly assisted, muttering things like, “No, stop squirming, Shouyou, I can’t help if you don’t stop moving, idiot.”

When Shouyou was through, he grabbed his coat, a hand-me-down from his father with logos from his roofing company, folding it over his arm. He didn’t have far to walk, and he usually ran hot, so he wasn’t too worried about getting bundled up.

“Shouyou has a point, but it couldn’t hurt to contact a trainer, either,” Asahi said, flicking off the lights from behind the bar. He pulled on a peacoat and a scarf, digging his keys out from the pocket. “You’re all coming to Yuu and Ryuu’s party, right?” he asked as they all filed out of the bar, and he locked the front door.

“It’s your party, too, it’s your house,” Daichi reminded. “But yes, I will be there.”

Asahi rolled his eyes and looked to the young band mates.

“I don’t think they would let us get away with not being there,” Kei sighed, sounding very much like he didn’t want to be there.

Asahi laughed. “Alright, well, I’ll see you all there, then. Have a good day!”

They all parted ways, Asahi and Daichi to the left, the band to the right. Shouyou peeled off from the other three at the corner, waving. 

Even though it was technically late for him, Shouyou couldn’t help but feel energized. They had a fan. A fan they would meet. He let out a whoop of triumph, jumping in the air, and drawing attention to himself. Despite the looks he was getting, he couldn’t keep the winsome grin from his face. Today had been a good day.


	2. Pretend You Know This Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio and friends attend The Crows' show at The Iron Wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @darlin_stardust on Twitter. This AU would definitely not exist without her. This time, she's helped me with everyone's outfits, with Tobio's job and with other things that have yet to come. 
> 
> Songs featured in this chapter are:
> 
> Family by Mother Mother
> 
> Fvck Somebody by The Wrecks
> 
> and Stupid Deep (Acoustic) by Jon Bellion
> 
> Chapter Title from Bang! by AJR
> 
> Enjoy!

Tobio’s week had been lengthy and demanding. The middle school team he was coaching was in training for the spring tournament and they were undergoing quite a few changes. There had been a particular amount of drama this week, with their setter and their wing spiker butting heads. It had taken everything he had not to yell at them just to get over it and put their best foot forward. They needed this, this period of turmoil, to make them better. It just made it that much more of a relief for Tobio when Friday rolled around.

At lunch, he’d been talking to Akira and Yuutarou about his plans to go The Iron Wall that night. When he mentioned that he was going so that he could see a band that he’d recently fell in love with, Tooru, who had been listening in, had invited himself and his boyfriend, and then had convinced Akira and Yuutarou to come along as well. Tobio begrudgingly allowed it, and they agreed they would meet up at the train station and go together.

However, now Tobio was wishing that he’d suggested they meet at his apartment, as he struggled to find something to wear. Tooru, as much of a pain in the ass as he was, was extremely fashion forward, and Tobio was sure he would’ve jumped at the chance to dress him. As it was, he had to dress himself. So far, he’d gone through six pairs of jeans, fifteen shirts and three pairs of shoes. He was hopeless.

He eventually settled on a rolled short sleeve ivory button up, tucked into belted black ankle length slacks. Over top, he layered a light washed denim jacket. Finally, he pulled on his Docs. He still wasn’t entirely happy with it, but it would have to do, because he was now running late. 

He grabbed his keys and wallet off of the table by the door, locking up quickly. He found himself running to the train station just to make sure he would make it on time to meet the others and wouldn’t make them late to getting on the train. The air was cool, but not uncomfortable, the heat from the warmer winter day still lingering into the evening. 

He slowed his run into a light jog as the train station came into view, waving as he caught sight of Akira and Yuutarou. Akira was in full black, a turtle neck tucked into belted ankle length slacks not dissimilar from Tobio’s own, a blazer draped over his shoulder, silver accessories hanging from his belt loops. Yuutarou was in a set of brown canvas pants, rolled at the ankles, a grey scoop neck tee shirt, over which he wore a rolled sleeve jean jacket, and finished off the look with a navy knit beanie. They waited for him at the door, greeting him with smiles.

“Looking good, Tobio,” Akira complimented as he took him in, stepping inside. Tobio gave him a bit of a relieved smile as he rolled his eyes.

“Thanks, it took me long enough to settle on this,” he chuckled a bit. “You two look great, too.”

“You know Akira, he likes to go over the top,” Yuutarou joked. “I’m excited to hear just how great this band is. You couldn’t shut up about them, so I’m hoping it’s worth it,” he said, gently punching Tobio’s shoulder.

“You know, I didn’t  _ actually  _ invite you. You and Tooru all invited yourselves,” Tobio facetiously complained.

Yuutarou ruffled Tobio’s hair, while Akira waved at Tooru and Hajime, who’d come into view. Tooru was in a spacey, button down shirt, short sleeves rolled, and grey jeans tucked into brown boots. His boyfriend, Hajime, was in a green sweater, under which he wore a blue button down shirt that he wore untucked over dark wash blue jeans and brown boots. They looked just as good as Tobio had anticipated they would.

“Took you gentlemen long enough. Come on, we have a train to catch,” Tooru said, blowing a bubble in his gum, turning on his heel. Hajime stood from the fountain he’d been leaning against, offering them a smile before following his boyfriend.

“Thank you for inviting me along,” Hajime said to the three of them, and Tobio shook his head.

“I’m glad to have people to go with,” he said.  _ Makes it look less stalkerish,  _ he followed up with his thoughts as the train to the Dateko district pulled up to the platform.

They quickly bought tickets and rushed onto the train, making it just before the doors closed. Tobio breathed a sigh of relief as they found seats. He would’ve hated to miss The Crows’ performance, but now they would be right on time.

\--

The Crows were in a back room at The Iron Wall, getting ready for their performance. They were all dressed, Kei was lining his eyes with a black pencil, Yachi had stepped out of their dressing room to go over the lighting cues with Chikara, and Tadashi was sitting on the leather couch that was pushed up against the far wall, drumsticks in his hands, eyes closed and head tilted back, clearly going over their set in his head. Shouyou’s fingers itched to do the same on his guitar, but he was waiting for Kei to finish so that he could get some help with his own eyeliner. He had never quite mastered it the way the other three had.

Yachi re-entered the room happily, black skater skirt swirling around her stocking enveloped thighs. She smiled at Kei, coming up behind him while he worked and placing a kiss on his cheek. “You’re so pretty,” she complimented him, causing Kei to laugh.

“You’re one to talk,” he said, leaning down, a finger catching under her chin and tilting her face up so he could easily kiss her lips.

“Get a room!” Shouyou called, tossing a crumpled tissue at them. 

“If you left this one, the three of us could have the privacy we deserve and require,” Tadashi hummed, not even opening his eyes.

“So rude to me,” the red head complained, but hopped up when Kei gestured that he was ready to help with his makeup. He settled in a chair in front of the lanky blonde, looking up so that Kei could line his water line. He knew the drill by now, sitting perfectly still. When he finished with the water line, Shouyou closed his eyes and raised his brows to make it easier to line his lid, which Kei did with a minimal amount of pulling to get a straight line.

“There, you’re done,” Kei said, ruffling Shouyou’s hair out of place.

“Aw, come on, I worked hard on getting it slicked back!” he complained, getting up to look in a mirror and try to fix it.

“It looks better when it happens naturally on stage, Shouyou,” Yachi suggested, adjusting her own little ponytail as she shared the mirror with him. “Just let it go, it will happen on it’s own. Besides, we’re close to show time.”

Tadashi groaned and sat up. “We’re starting with ‘Family,’ right?” he asked, running his hands through his long, brown locks and pulling it up into a small ponytail at the back of his neck.

“Mmm-hmm,” Yachi hummed as she pursed her lips and applied a final coat of gloss. “Ready?”

“Ready,” the three men responded in unison, following out of the door.

\--

Tobio wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting of The Iron Wall, but it certainly wasn’t white painted brick and patinated industrial iron, accented with warm walnut wood floors, and pendant Edison lights that hung over a walnut bar top. The stage was set under a set of iron stairs that led up to a small second story balcony. Small tables lined the walls of the first story, with two chairs each. 

That meant Tooru and Hajime got one table, Yuutarou and Akira got another, and Tobio took a seat at the bar, close to where the band would be performing. He wanted to be close to the action. He ordered a white Russian, taking a sip, then almost choking on it as the band walked right by him, the ginger leading, followed by the tall blonde, then the drummer, the bassist girl bringing up the rear. He set down his drink quickly to clap for them along with the rest of the bar.

While they set up, Tobio took them in. The front man, Shouyou, was in an American flag printed long tank top, camouflage skinny jeans, Docs and a jean jacket with leather sleeves and a leather collar. He looked amazing in them, and his strawberry locks were pushed forward in a swoop, which Tobio was sure would get pushed back as the show went on. The tall blond keyboardist was in a floral button up that he seemed to have forgotten to actually button up, showing off creamy skin, sleeves rolled to his elbows, ends tucked into belted black slacks and finished off with stylish floral ankle boots. The brunet drummer was in a black tee shirt promoting the band, which he tucked into belted blue jeans that he’d rolled the ankles of, showing off long black corded socks and black and white Vans. He topped it off with a green and orange windbreaker and a grey zip up hoodie. The blonde little bassist girl was in a pink blouse that tucked into her black pleated skater skirt that sat over stockinged legs, a rust colored cardigan over top and black bootie heels finishing off the look. They all looked amazing, and somehow their looks all worked together. 

“Hey there, we’re The Crows, and we’re honored to play again for you all tonight. We’re starting off with ‘Family.’ I hope you all enjoy the show,” Shouyou said as he adjusted the mic to suit his short height. He looked back at his band, who nodded to him that they were ready. Shouyou grinned and strummed his electric guitar, and whooped into the mic. The drummer kept time with the high hat to start and, after the first few whoops, then he and the rest of the band joined Shouyou, whooping into their respective mics. 

Tobio recognized the song to be the same one that had caused him to truly fall in love with The Crows. “They got my blood up in their veins, I get a cut, they feel my pain,” Shouyou sang, the bassist harmonizing with him. As they continued, Tobio mouthed the lyrics, his foot tapping to the beat. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips as he watched them interact with each other. He could tell they weren’t family by blood, but they were certainly family by circumstance, the way they all played off of one another.

Shouyou would work his way around the small stage, leaning into the keyboardist or the bassist, singing with them into their mics, he would play in front of the drums, making eye contact with the drummer and smiling with him. They were just as amazing as he remembered, and as he had predicted, Shouyou’s hair was already getting pushed back off his face. 

As they closed the song, Shouyou made his way back to his own mic. “We wrote that song two years ago after we graduated college and moved away from our blood families. Somehow we all wound up staying together, despite our differences, and we wrote about it. So, let me introduce you to my family. I’m Shouyou,” he said, gesturing to himself as he panted softly. “This is Kei,” he gestured back to the keyboardist, “Tadashi,” to the drummer, “And Yachi,” to the bassist. “And we’re The Crows. This next song is one I wrote after a breakup that was hard to get over because the guy was just too nice,” he laughed and Tobio felt his heart skip a beat. It was beautiful, just like his voice.

“What do you want?” Shouyou came in, Kei coming in on the keys just a moment after. “My god, I just wanna go somewhere without you. What do you want? My god, I just wanna love someone who’s not you.” Tobio found himself drawn into the story of the song, leaning forward. A couple times, Shouyou’s eyes met his while he performed, and he felt his stomach flip flop.

Tobio was smitten with this front man, and it was especially evident when Shouyou would look at him and smile into the lyrics. “I wish you’d fuck somebody, steal my money, break my heart, say you never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever loved me.” Tobio was able to figure out this was the chorus with the way that Shouyou and the others swayed and bopped to the beat, clearly enjoying themselves.

The rest of the night went like that, Shouyou introducing the songs, smiling through them, sometimes catching Tobio’s eye and making him lose his breath. The time ticked later and later as they played, and finally, Shouyou spoke into the mic one last time. 

“This last one is a little different. Slower pace. We wanted to close with this as a way of saying goodnight, and that we love you. It was written by Kei, so I’ll let him talk about it,” the ginger said, then stepped away.

“There isn’t much to say about it other than I wrote it to explain myself to the two people I love most in the world,” Kei murmured, and Tobio could definitely see a blush high on his cheeks. He counted softly into the mic, “Four, three, two…” and the band began to harmonize a capella.

“What if who I hoped to be was always me? And the love I fought to feel was always free?” Shouyou sang softly, his eyes closing against the melody, fingers closing around the mic. “What if all the things I've done, yeah, were just attempts at earning love? Yeah. 'Cause the hole inside my heart is stupid deep, stupid deep.” He pulled away from the mic as his voice soared into a high-pitched “Oooh” that filled the bar beautifully.

As the next verse started, Kei came in with a violin and Tadashi with a cello that Tobio hadn’t seen either of them retrieve. Yachi came in on another violin, plucking the strings while the other two played, and Shouyou’s voice sang like an angel’s. 

Tobio could feel his throat getting tight as he was moved by the arrangement and the lyrics. “What if all the things I’ve done,” Shouyou sang, and was echoed by the band,

“What if all the things I’ve done,”

“Were just attempts at earning love? 

“Were just attempts at earning love?”

“Cause the hole inside my heart is stupid deep, stupid deep,” Shouyou sang as the music swelled around him. 

“Whooo, oo-oo-ooh, o-o-o-oooo-oo-oo-ooh, mmmm deep,” the band harmonized together. The bar was so quiet, Tobio was certain he could hear a pin drop, and the band was so still. Then they all looked up and grinned, and the patrons erupted into loud, appreciative applause, cheers, and whistles. Tobio clapped and brushed the tears from his eyes at the moving performance. The band bowed a few times, and went about cleaning up their instruments.

The crowd eventually settled, and Tobio’s friends had made their way to the bar, expressions showing their shock and disbelief.

“I didn’t think they’d be so good, Tobio!” Tooru cried, a giant smile on his lips. “They were  _ so  _ good!! That last number? I sobbed like a baby, oh my god.” Hajime nodded the affirmative of this happening.

“They were really good. I was kind of surprised you had such great taste in music,” Akira said, patting Tobio’s shoulder. 

His friends continued to sing their praises for the band and talk about their favorite songs. That’s why, when his friends suddenly fell silent and were looking past his shoulder with wide eyes, he couldn’t help but look over his shoulder. His heart almost stopped when he saw the familiar shock of ginger hair and the great big grin.

“Hi there,” Shouyou said, “You wouldn’t happen to be Tobio, would you?”

And that’s it. Tobio was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't worry, Tobio isn't really dead he just thinks he is. 
> 
> If you wanna yell about this AU, volleyboys, or D&D with me, find me on Twitter, @PrinceZale18


	3. And There's Something About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio learns that Heaven isn't all it's chalked up to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to @darlin_stardust on Twitter, as always. She indulged me sending her random bits of dialogue at random hours.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing banter between The Crows this chapter. Also this chapter is longer than usual (I think) because I just couldn't find a good place to end/stop any earlier than I did.
> 
> Songs featured in this chapter:
> 
> Like Real People Do by Hozier
> 
> Me by The 1975 (based on acoustic cover by Ben Bestwick Music on Youtube)
> 
> Chapter title from I Dare You by The Regrettes

“Hi there,” Shouyou said, “You wouldn’t happen to be Tobio, would you?”

The breath left Tobio and he could feel a sort of panic start to stir in him. He could only stare at the smiling face, the pretty strawberry hair -  _ It looks so soft, I want to touch it - _ and the bright, honeyed eyes. He could get lost in those eyes. He  _ was  _ lost in them. His mouth felt dry. Hadn’t Shouyou asked him a question? Too much time had passed, certainly, for an appropriate answer.

“Is he okay? He looks a little pale,” Shouyou asked, looking to Akira with concern. Shouyou was concerned for him. Shouyou was in front of him. Asking if his name was Tobio. Yes, that’s what he’d asked. He was awaiting an answer.

“Yeee-aAH?” Tobio let out a strangled noise that could almost be considered an answer to Shouyou’s questions. He coughed and swallowed and tried again. “Yeah. Yes. I’m Tobio. You’re Shouyou,” he stammered.  _ Ah, yes, perfect, very good way to not be weird at all,  _ Tobio scolded himself.

Shouyou just laughed, and it made Tobio’s heart skip a beat the same way it had before. “Yeah, I am! Asahi told us about you, and when I saw you singing along with a few of the songs, I figured it had to be you,” he said excitedly. “Listen, the band and I are headed back to The View for after partying, would you and your friends like to join us?” Shouyou glanced at the group around him, and immediately, Tobio was nodding. He didn’t need to consult with the rest of the group, they were coming with whether they wanted to or not.

“Yes, we’d love to,” Tobio said earnestly, garnering him another smile from Shouyou. 

“Okay. We’re gonna take a minute or two to cool off in the dressing room. I’ll come find you all before we leave,” Shouyou said, touching Tobio’s shoulder before moving past their group into the crowd. As soon as he was gone, Tobio let out another strangled noise, looking to his friends.

“Wow, obvious much, Tobiochan?” Tooru teased. “You couldn’t play it the least bit cool?’ The older teacher yelped when Hajime socked him in the shoulder.

“If I remember correctly, not too long ago, someone else couldn’t play it cool either. So leave him be,” Hajime warned.

“Mean,” Tooru pouted.

Tobio slowly came back into being, looking around at his group, who stared back with concern on their faces.

“You gonna be alright?” Yuutarou asked, only the tiniest hint of a smirk on his lips.

“Was that real?” Tobio asked, feeling like he’d just hallucinated the whole thing.

Akira laughed quietly at him. “Yes, that was real. We’re also going to an after party now. You better hook up with him, or I’ll be mad you dragged me out for a later night than planned,” he joked.

Tobio put his head in his hands, mortified.

\--

“It was him!” Shouyou exclaimed as he slammed open the dressing room door.

Tadashi startled in Kei’s lap, where he was kissing Yachi. “Dammit, Shouyou,” he sighed, looking from the dazed girl to his obnoxious bandmate.

“Listen, I told you all to get a room. Not my fault you didn’t listen to me,” Shouyou said snidely as he came in. “But the guy! The guy I was talking about, how I thought he was that fan Asahi was talking about? He was! It was him, and now he and his friends are coming to The View with us for the after party!”

“Two questions. One, you know our after parties are just breakfast cooked by Daichi? Two, did you bully him into coming, or is he coming of his own volition?” Kei asked disinterestedly.

“Two answers. One, yes, but everyone needs to experience Daichi’s cooking, so it’s okay. Two, I did not bully him, how dare you suggest that I did. I mean… he was out of commission for a second there, but when I asked if he wanted to go, he definitely said yes,” Shouyou snarked back.

“Pfft! Did you render him speechless?” Tadashi laughed, leaning back against Kei.

“Shouyou can render anyone speechless, he just has to open his mouth and they’re blown away by his stupidity,” Kei teased.

“Be nice, you two,” Yachi sighed, leaning against Tadashi, her head on his chest. “Shouyou, you’re very smart, sometimes.”

“Ooooh, roasted,” Tadashi hissed, looking at Shouyou sympathetically.

“You know that song about us being family? I’m ripping it up and spreading it over you like hatred confetti,” Shouyou said, sticking out his tongue. 

“Oh no, we’ll finally be able to kiss in peace, whatever will we do,” Kei bemoaned sarcastically.

“I am seriously five seconds from throwing a shoe at you,” Shouyou deadpanned.

“Oooh, not a shoe, I’m so sca--” Tadashi was cut off by a Doc Martin boot hitting the wall just above his head. Shouyou stood across the room, down a boot.

“Hey, you could’ve hit Yachi, she’s innocent in all of this,” Kei cautioned.

“Hardly,” Yachi and Shouyou said in unison, causing her to giggle. “Sorry, Shouyou.”

Shouyou sighed. “It’s fine. You’ll all be jealous when I’m hooking up with our biggest fan.”

Yachi sat up, stretching and yawning. “You realize we hook up every night?”

“Most nights,” Kei corrected.

“Like five out of seven nights,” Tadashi said with a nod.

“Ugh, I do, but I don’t need to hear it.” Shouyou’s nose wrinkled and he crossed the room to retrieve his boot. “Are you guys gonna get up so we can go, or what?”

“So eager!” Kei teased, reaching out to ruffle Shouyou’s hair for the second time that night.

“I hate all of you.”

\--

Tobio wasn’t sure how he got here, walking side by side with Shouyou, the singer talking a mile a minute. 

“--the most amazing chocolate chip waffles I’ve ever had in my whole life, Tobio, are you listening to me?”

He was so foolish. So young and naive. Of course life couldn’t just give him something nice and let him have it. No, life liked to be a practical joker like that. Of course the front man of his new favorite band had to be literally the  _ most annoying  _ person on the  _ entire _ earth.

The novelty and shock of talking to the frontman of The Crows had worn off approximately twenty minutes ago, when they had not even been a block from The Iron Wall. It had further worn off when his friends ditched him halfway to their destination, leaving him with the band, citing papers they had to grade. Bunch of assholes. Now he was here with Shouyou, and the other band members shooting him empathetic looks. Except for that Kei guy. He looked like he wanted to laugh at Tobio’s misfortune.

He sighed and looked over to Shouyou. “Amazing chocolate chip waffles, yes,” he said, to confirm he was listening, then continued before Shouyou could, “Listen, Shouyou, you had a long show, maybe you should rest your voice.” He couldn’t lie, the suggestion came across more exasperated than he had intended, and wasn’t as subtle as he’d hoped by the way Kei, Tadashi and Yachi slapped their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing.

“Oh no, I’m fine, my voice feels top notch! Thanks for worrying, though, Tobio,” Shouyou said, smiling at him. It still made Tobio’s stomach flip flop. Unfortunately, how annoying Shouyou was or wasn’t did not affect how much his body apparently wanted him. 

“Yeah, sure,” Tobio said, cheeks tingeing with the slightest pink.

“Don’t worry, Tobio, we’re only another block and a half from The View. Shouyou will get a rest when we eat,” Yachi said, and Tobio thanked her internally for giving him an idea of when he would be able to escape.

“I see, that’s good then,” he said, giving her a grateful look back over his shoulder.

“So, enough about me,” Shouyou said. 

_ Finally,  _ Tobio thought, then locked up with tension at Shouyou’s next question.

“Tell us about you!”

Tobio’s cheeks flushed even further from the slight darkening he’d experienced earlier. He always hated this part. He wasn’t the least bit interesting. Even though Shouyou had a tendency to ramble, he could already tell the four bandmates led a far more compelling and fascinating life than he did.

“Oh… well… I guess I teach?” Tobio mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You guess?” Shouyou said, giving him a look. 

Tobio rolled his eyes. “I do. I do teach. And coach. Volleyball,” he said stiltedly.

“So those people you were with were coworkers?” Shouyou hummed, looking at him with interest. It made Tobio uncomfortable. No one had looked at him with so much attentiveness before. It was weird.

“Uh, yeah. Well.. friends, I suppose. We sometimes go for drinks after work. Tooru is more of a pain in the ass than a friend, but he has good fashion sense,” Tobio said thoughtfully, to which Tadashi called laughingly from behind them,

“Ohhhhhh, roasted!”

“Nice one, Tobio,” Kei congratulated him.

Tobio’s brows drew together. “I’m not sure what you mean, I’m just telling the truth…”

Tadashi laughed harder, burying his head in Kei’s shoulder as they walked.

Those two and Yachi were an interesting bunch. Right now, Tadashi was hanging all over Kei’s right side, while Yachi held his hand on the left. He was curious about them. Maybe they were just really close friends?

“So volleyball, huh? I used to play when I was younger. What age do you coach?” Shouyou asked, that intrigued look back on his face.

“Middle schoolers. They’re working hard for the spring tournament right now. Our wing spiker and our setter are out of sync right now. They definitely need the tension, it’s making them both grow, but at the same time, I hope for their sake that they resolve it before the competition really starts,” Tobio said. It was the most he’d said to them all night, though not entirely through his own fault.

“Wow, you’re really passionate about coaching and volleyball, aren’t you, Tobio?” Yachi asked him, giving him a kind smile.

He smiled back and nodded. “I can’t play professionally anymore. These kids are the next best thing, and I’m trying to teach them everything I can in the short amount of time that I get them.” 

Tobio looked up as everyone slowed to a stop. “Oh, we’re here. It doesn’t look open?” He said, taking note of the darkened windows.

“This late in the morning, it’s not, but Asahi and Daichi are still here. We have to go around the back. Come on,” Shouyou said, taking Tobio’s hand with a smile and dragging him around the building, down an alleyway.

Tobio had about three seconds to worry that Shouyou had planned a incredible and unnecessarily complicated plot to murder him, before he saw that the others were following them.

Shouyou pounded on a recessed steel door. “The after party is here~!” he called in a sing-song voice. Tobio winced and looked up and down the walls of the alleyway. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any windows facing into it, so they likely weren’t disturbing anyone.

The steel door opened and a murderous looking man glowered at Shouyou. “What have I told you about being noisy this late in the morning?”

“Sorry, Daichi!” Shouyou said, shouldering past him, not sounding sorry at all, dragging Tobio with him. “This is Tobio, by the way!”

The man’s expression softened a bit, and he looked tired as he took Tobio in. It made Tobio want to apologize for Shouyou on his behalf. This poor man.

“Of course you are. Nice to meet you, Tobio,” he offered his hand to shake and Tobio took it. He didn’t expect the iron grip and he flinched a little. “I hope you’re going to be around with the band more often.”

He nodded, threat heard and stored in the back of his head.  _ Don’t fuck with the band. Don’t fuck with Shouyou. Got it. _

“Sorry about him, Daichi,” Tadashi apologized, actually sounding sincere. 

“It’s how he is. I suspect you’re all here for breakfast?” Daichi asked.

“You  _ do  _ make the best breakfast in town,” Tadashi said, leaning in to give the man a brief hug as he passed him.

“It’s true,” Yachi said, following in and giving Daichi a hug as well, though tighter than Tadashi’s had been.

“Jeez, you kids act like we didn’t just see each other last week,” he sighed. “Let me go ahead and fire the grill back up. I’ll be out for orders in ten, you all better be ready.”

Tobio followed the band members out into the main bar, completely bewildered. This man had already cleaned up the whole kitchen, yet he was going to make breakfast for them? He was surprised by how much of a force of nature Shouyou was, as he was almost certain this tradition was his doing. 

“Remember when we first did this?” Shouyou said as he hopped up onto one of the bar stools.

“You mean the first time you bullied Daichi into making you breakfast?” Kei said, taking off his coat and throwing it in a booth, along with everyone else’s. Tobio’s suspicion was confirmed. 

“I’m guessing waters and pain killers are in order?” Asahi’s voice came from down a hall to the side of the bar. “Oh, Tobio, I see you got to meet the band. Are they everything you hoped they would be?”

“Mostly,” Tobio answered, nodding.

“Savage,” Tadashi whispered as he passed behind Tobio and took the seat next to Kei. Kei and Yachi snickered quietly.

Asahi nodded understandingly, eyes settling briefly on Shouyou, as if to say, ‘Me too.’ “Since this is your first breakfast, let me explain the rules. There are no rules, you can have pretty much anything you want as long as we have the ingredients,” Asahi explained, setting a water in front of him, along with two Advil, as he had with everyone else.

“The kitchen was already cleaned, though,” Tobio said softly, trying not to draw the attention of the band, who were bickering amongst themselves.

Asahi smiled. “It’s tradition now. We don’t mess with it. Daichi is happy to, and they help him clean up after. Don’t worry about it too much, Tobio.”

“Alright, you rugrats, what do you want?” Daichi called, standing just in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Chocolate chip waffles!” Shouyou cried, garnering him an eye roll from everyone but Tobio. 

“Way to try something new,” Daichi said. “Kei?”

“Does strawberry shortcake count as breakfast?”

“No, but I’ll make it anyway. Tadashi?”

“Does Kei count as breakfast?”

“Ew. Breakfast privileges revoked,” Daichi’s nose wrinkled as he spoke, and his call of “Yachi?” drowned out Tadashi’s

“Oh come on, it was a joke!”

“I’m not particularly hungry today, maybe just yogurt, fruit and honey?” Yachi answered Daichi.

Daichi pursed his lips in thought. “I might be out of honey. I’m not sure. If I am out, you want maple syrup instead or just fruit and yogurt?”

“Just the fruit and yogurt if you don’t have honey. Thank you, Daichi,” she hummed with a smile.

“New kid. Tobio. Know what you want, or should I come back to you?” Daichi asked.

“Uh...scrambled eggs, toast, an orange, and a glass of milk, if you have it?” Tobio requested uncertainly.

“Sure thing. Anything in your scramble, or just plain?”

“Plain is good. Thank you.”

Daichi nodded and looked back to Tadashi. “You going to behave this time and give me a real order, or are you gonna take the title of biggest little shit from Kei?”

“Aw, come on, I gave you a hug, Daichi. I should get a free pass. And if you still have some of that bread you made, I’d like that with jam? If not, French toast.”

“Ryuu and Yuu got the last of it yesterday. Sorry. French toast it is.” With that, Daichi turned into the kitchen.

After he left, the room fell into a comfortable, sleepy quiet. Not quite silence, as Kei, Tadashi and Yachi murmured to each other. 

Shouyou was blessedly quiet, scrolling through his notifications on his phone with a vague, absent minded smile. It gave Tobio the chance to really take him in for the first time up close. At this distance, he could see freckles he’d missed from farther away, peppering Shouyou’s pale skin. He could tell Shouyou’s lips were slightly chapped. He noticed the way Shouyou’s hair curled at the nape, still looking soft as ever. He was so handsome, and he looked very relaxed this way.

“See something you like?” Shouyou purred softly, grinning at him and giving him a wink.

Tobio flushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. You’re just...You looked relaxed and happy,” he gave as way of explanation.

Shouyou chuckled, and it was almost better than his full laugh. Almost. It sent shivers down Tobio’s spin at the very least. “I was texting my roommate to see if he wanted to come join us for breakfast. I live like a block from here. He said he was sleeping and I should be, too,” he explained in hushed tones, shrugging. “He’s always worried about me.”

“He sounds like a good roommate,” Tobio commented, not sure what else to say.

“He is. You’ll probably meet him sometime, if you keep hanging out with us. You will, right? Hang out with us, I mean. I know I can come on strong, especially when I’m nervous,” Shouyou said, looking unsure.

Tobio’s blush darkened as he realized Shouyou was saying he’d been nervous when talking to him. Why he would be nervous was beyond Tobio, but it made the constant chatter so much more charming than annoying as it had been before Shouyou’s nerves had been revealed.

“I… yeah. Of course I will,” Tobio said, hesitating only a moment before nodding. He continued in a bout of bravery, “Here… ah, let me give you my number?” 

Shouyou smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that,” he said, pulling up the information for a new contact, and handing his phone to Tobio. Tobio entered his information and handed Shouyou’s phone back to him. Shouyou quickly sent a text to Tobio’s number, and Tobio saved the number to his contacts. 

Shouyou was still smiling as he rapped the bar gently with his knuckles, looking to Asahi. “Hey Asahi, I wanna play. You still have that guitar back there?”

Asahi sighed and grinned. “You know I keep it back here just for you,” he said, reaching down and pulling out a guitar case. He held it out over the bar and Shouyou took it rather gleefully, if Tobio did say so himself.

Shouyou brought it to the table at the booth that held their coats, taking out the acoustic guitar within. He then closed the case and put it below the table, and sat on the table top. He took a minute or two to tune it. He started to strum softly once it was tuned, a gentle melody.

“I had a thought, dear, however scary, about that night, the bugs and the dirt. Why were you digging? What did you bury, before those hands pulled me from the earth. I will not ask you where you came from. I will not ask, and neither will you. Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips. We can just kiss like real people do,” Shouyou sang, voice tender and raw.

Tobio was enraptured, listening to him sing this close and this intimate. He could hear the breaks in Shouyou’s voice as he hummed. He could hear the faint harmonizations of the other band members coming in as they turned to watch Shouyou, leaning against each other. He felt his heart swell and fill his throat. The song was mellow, indulgent and undemanding. The exact thing a band would sing together at three in the morning in a closed bar as they awaited their after party breakfast. 

“Is that one of the band’s songs?” Tobio asked in a murmur, not wanting to break the delicate atmosphere that had been created.

Shouyou shook his head. “Nah, it’s another artist’s. We just like to sing it. If we ever did an album of covers, this might be on there.”

Tobio nodded in understanding. “Are there others you like to sing?”

Shouyou smiled kindly at him. “Yeah, give me a sec.” He got down from the table and fished a capo from the case, clipping it on the guitar.

He started to play faintly and slowly, a light and airy melody. “I got a plane in the middle of the night, don’t you mind? I nearly killed somebody, don’t you mind, don’t you mind?” He sang, voice rasping over the words. Tadashi’s voice joined, humming a soft under tone in harmony, and he kept time by clapping his thigh. Kei and Yachi actually sang with Shouyou, taking the lower harmony, while Yachi took the higher, voice lilting through the room.

As they all sang together, Daichi quietly brought the food out, setting it up on the bar. Tobio murmured a soft thank you to him, but was too enthralled with the band to start eating.

They soon came to a close, and he, Daichi and Asahi clapped softly. “Alright, put the guitar down and come eat. You can play more later,” Daichi said.

They all turned to the bar and joined there for the excellent meal. The bar was silent as they ate, all of them too drained to make conversation anymore. When they finished, they cleared and cleaned their plates away. 

Shouyou came back and returned the guitar to its case, and handed it back to Asahi. They all donned their outerwear. “Do you live nearby?” Shouyou asked Tobio as the group exited the bar.

“A few blocks west,” Tobio said with a nod.

Shouyou smiled. “I’m just a block north. Let me walk you home,” he urged.

“You don’t have to, I can make it fine on my own,” Tobio protested.

“Don’t be silly,” Shouyou waved him off.

“We’re east, so we’ll be parting ways here. It was nice to meet you, Tobio. I hope we see you around more,” Yachi said with a smile. She waved, as did Tadashi and Kei, and then she took their hands, walking in the opposite direction.

“Well… alright, I suppose,” Tobio said, starting to the west with Shouyou by his side. They walked in relative silence, only making occasional commentary about what a quiet, beautiful morning it was. For some reason, they kept their voices hushed and low, as if they were the only two people in the world and there was no need to be heard by anyone else.

As they got nearer to his apartment, Tobio looked over at Shouyou. “I’m glad to have met you. I had a lot of fun tonight,” he said softly.

Shouyou grinned. “Don’t talk like we’re never going to see each other, Tobio. I expect you to be at our show next week, at the very least.”

Tobio couldn’t help but grin back. “Alright.” He sighed as they came upon his building. “This is me.”

“I had a lot of fun tonight, too. It was really good to meet you. I’ll text you,” Shouyou said, then his fingers were on Tobio’s face, gently tilting his head so he could press a tender kiss to his cheek. “Have a good night, Tobio,” he murmured, giving him a cute little mischievous grin before waving and heading back in the direction of the bar.

For real this time, Tobio was pretty sure he was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hasn't been beta read, so if you find any mistakes, please let me know.


	4. I Reach Out and Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you're really nervous about texting the cute guy you just met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs featured in this chapter:  
> Teeth by 5SOS
> 
> Chapter Title:  
> Touch by Troye Sivan
> 
> Thank you as always to @darlin_stardust on Twitter for beta-ing this for me. She is also 100% responsible for this chapter existing because man, oh, man was I stuck!! I didn't know where to go and talking to Brittie deffo, deffo helped me figure out what the next logical step was.
> 
> Sorry, also, that this chapter has been so long coming. I had writers block, and then I was in the ER, and then the OR and then recovering, so I've only just now been able to get this out.

Monday came in a shower of snow, thick and sticky on the pavement. Clouds hung heavy in the sky, making the day pass in a dismal sluggishness. Tobio’s classes were despondent and dull, the students listless and indifferent. He couldn’t blame them, as he felt the same weight, dragging him down, making him feel melancholy. As morning came and went, Tobio found himself at his desk for lunch, staring at his phone.

Shouyou still hadn’t texted. To be fair, Tobio hadn’t texted either. He just couldn’t figure out what to say. He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. Maybe Shouyou didn’t want to be friends. Maybe he just thought it was cool that The Crows had a groupie, and that was the extent of their relationship. Maybe Shouyou hadn’t enjoyed himself on Friday and decided he wasn’t worth his time. Maybe Shouyou thought he was weird. Maybe the others thought he was weird and were recommending Shouyou didn’t contact him. Maybe--

“Tobio, get out of your head,” Hajime called from the door, startling him.

“Fucking hell! How long have you been standing there?” Tobio asked, heart-racing. It took a moment for his brief panic to settle, and when it did, he frowned at Hajime. “What are you even doing here? You don’t work here.”

“Sorry. About two minutes? I’m bringing Shittykawa his lunch,” Hajime said, holding up a bento with a godzilla furoshiki. “What are you over thinking?” he asked as he entered the classroom and sat on one of the desks closest to Tobio’s.

Tobio sighed, wondering how much to disclose. It wasn’t like Hajime had ever done him wrong, but he knew most anything he told Hajime would make it to Tooru, and being bugged at work was the last thing he needed. On the other hand… he really  _ did  _ need advice. “Shouyou hasn’t texted me yet,” he eventually said.

“I’m guessing you haven’t texted him either?” Hajime asked. When Tobio shook his head, he continued, “Well, maybe he’s just nervous about it. One of you has to bite the bullet, though. Is there any reason you haven’t texted him?”

“Well… no. I just… don’t really know what to say…” Tobio admitted, setting his phone on the desk and sighing dejectedly.

“What do you mean you don’t know what to say? Just  _ talk  _ to him, Tobio. He’s a guy. You’re a guy. Do you wanna be friends with him?” Hajime asked, exasperated.

“Well, yes, of course,” Tobio expressed earnestly. “Of course I do, I just…” He huffed. “I haven’t exactly ever  _ pursued  _ a friendship before. You all just kind of… stuck on me. Like barnacles.”

Hajime snickered. “Okay, fair point. But it doesn’t take much. Start with ‘Hey’ and go from there. The conversation will progress naturally and before you know it, you’ll be friends.” He hopped down from the desk and patted Tobio’s shoulder, making him feel a little more secure. “I have to go deliver this before Trashykawa gets mad. You don’t have anything to worry about. Seriously. Talk to him,” he said, then waved and went on his way.

“Thank you!” Tobio called, knowing the man would hear him down the hall. 

He sighed and looked back at his phone. He would send it later, after work, so he wouldn’t get distracted. His class was supposed to be starting in ten minutes, and maybe Shouyou wasn’t even awake yet. He did keep a night schedule, it seemed. It wasn’t like he was avoiding it. Not at all. Tobio would text later. Definitely, he would do it later. For sure.

\--

Monday practice was challenging. Shouyou’s mind kept going to his phone, and the fact that it held no messages from their dear fan. None at all. Not even a ‘Hey.’ Try as he might, he couldn’t focus on the music. He was a half-beat behind the whole song they just performed, and the one before that, he’d forgotten a whole verse. 

“Shouyou, what the fuck,” Kei snapped at him. 

Shouyou winced. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just distracted.”

“What could possibly be more important than practice?” Kei stepped out from behind his keyboard, pushing his glasses up with a finger and crossing his arms. Behind him, Shouyou could see Tadashi and Yachi looking like they were uncomfortable, but like they had been waiting for Kei to say something, as they were both too polite to. 

Shouyou sighed and took his guitar off of his shoulders, setting it gently on The View’s stage. “Tobio hasn’t texted me. Sorry, I know it’s not as important as practice. I’m just… It’s bothering me.”

“Why don’t we all take a 15, get some water, get some snackage in you, talk about your problems, whatever you gotta do,” Yuu said, getting up from where he was sitting at a hightop table with Ryuu, clapping his hands together. “I expect you all back here by,” he checked his watch, “five thirty.” He and Ryuu grabbed their coats and exited out the kitchen side door, likely to go smoke.

Kei took Shouyou’s arm and dragged him to a booth. “Alright. Talk. Get it out so it stops messing up our practice.”

Shouyou rubbed his arm, wincing a bit, earning an apologetic look from Kei. He had a strong grip when he wanted to. “I dunno, Kei. He just hasn’t texted. I would’ve thought he would have by now. But he hasn’t. Like, is it me? Did I scare him away with my… everything?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. Have  _ you  _ texted  _ him _ at all?” Kei asked, putting his hands up to stop Shouyou.

“No…” Shouyou muttered, not meeting his eyes. Stupid Kei, always with the making sense.

“Well then, you can’t say shit about him not messaging you,” Kei said flippantly, taking a drink from his water bottle. “If you’re not brave enough to message him first, you can’t act all heartbroken because he hasn’t texted you. And you certainly can’t ruin our practice over it. Grow up. Text him first. If you text him and he doesn’t text you back after a day, at that point I will allow you to be a distracted asshole. Otherwise, I want you focused. Got it?”

Despite his mean demeanor, Shouyou knew Kei’s heart was in the right place and he had a point. Shouyou nodded. “Yeah, okay. Thanks, Kei.”

“Don’t mention it,” Kei said with an eye-roll.

\--

It was about nine at night when Tobio was settling down for bed. He laid down in his full size mattress, the lights already off, fluffing his pillow. As he was turning onto his side to get comfortable, his phone pinged on the nightstand, the screen lighting up. He willed himself to ignore it, but after a few moments of tossing and turning, the curiosity got the better of him. He picked up his phone, swiping to unlock it. It was a message from Shouyou. His heart squeezed with happiness, and he couldn’t help the smile.

_ 9:02 pm From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > Hey, what do you think of this song? _

__ _ > Attached: 110319.mov _

Tobio opened the file. It was clear it was taken by someone other than the band. They were sitting across from the stage, and their hands were not at all steady. The shakiness of the short film was enough to give Tobio the beginnings of a headache. It distracted him so much that he forgot to listen to the clip of the song. He replayed it, not looking at the screen, just listening. 

“Fight so dirty, but your love’s so sweet,” Shouyou sang, shredding on the guitar. Tobio could also hear the bass driving in the background. “Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth.” Tobio’s brows raised in surprise. Clearly this was some sort of breakup song. It had to be. “Late night devil, put your hands on me. And never, never, never, ever let go.” Or maybe not? Tobio couldn’t figure it out. Regardless of the lyrics though, it was very rockin’, and had a pop song quality about it. He could picture himself driving while angry, belting the lyrics as he made his way down the highway at high speeds. It would also be a good song for a run. He found himself bobbing his head along to the beat, grinning a bit and mouthing the lyrics as he listened to the clip for a third time. He almost forgot Shouyou was expecting a reply, until he got another ping.

_ 9:14 pm From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > Tobio? _

__ _ > Hello? _

Tobio quickly brought up his messages, clicking on Shouyou’s name and responding.

_ 9:15 pm To: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > Sorry! I was listening to it. _

__ _ > A lot. _

__ _ > It’s really good, Shouyou. _

__ _ > Tooru would say it’s ‘a bop’ _

_ 9:20 pm From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > Np! _

__ _ > c: _

__ _ > I’m glad you like it! We’ve been working really hard on it.  _

__ _ > That would be nice of Tooru, but do you think it’s ‘a bop’? _

_ 9:22 pm To: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > It’s a bop _

__ _ > I can tell, it’s really good. Is it a break up song? _

_ 9:25 pm From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ >Ty ty _

__ _ > It’s a… its complicated song lol _

_ 9:27 pm To: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > Lol. So how are you? Did you have a good day? _

Tobio’s chest tightened while he waited for a reply. He hoped it didn’t sound stupid. He really was curious if Shouyou’s day had been a good one. He hoped they were on that level.  _ Gods, you’re such a teenage girl, Tobio,  _ he scolded himself. When his phone pinged, he jumped, and opened it right away.

_ 9:30 pm From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > I’m really good, Tobio! _

__ _ > It was kinda difficult at first _

__ _ > I wasn’t focused at practice and Kei yelled at me :c _

__ _ > But it’s better now!! _

__ _ > Hbu? _

_ 9:34 pm To: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > I’m good too _

__ _ > I was just getting to bed when you messaged _

__ _ > But I can stay up, don’t worry about that _

__ _ > Are you still at practice? _

_ 9:37 pm From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > We just finished up. _

__ _ > We’re gonna eat and head back to my place for video games _

__ _ > You should go to bed, Tobio _

__ _ > How are those kiddies supposed to learn anything if you’re dead? _

_ 9:40 pm To: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > Lol, alright _

__ _ > But next time I expect an invite _

Tobio winced as he sent the last message, hoping it would come across funny as opposed to demanding. He didn’t want Shouyou to think he was some kind of asshole.

_ 9:42 pm From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > lol, you bet c; _

__ _ > now go to bed, sir _

__ _ > sweet dreams, xo _

There was no way Tobio was gonna be able to fall asleep with his cheeks on fire the way they were. He locked his phone, putting it back on the nightstand before turning over. He stared at the wall, a small smile on his lips. He was glad Shouyou had decided to be the brave one of the two of them. Eventually staring at his far wall turned into being unable to keep his eyes open turned into the warm embrace of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you again for reading! Please feel free to hit me up on Twitter @PrinceZale18!


	5. You're Waiting for Someone to Perform With

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So much happens! We've got possible label deals? A mysterious figure with connections? Dumb sappy romance in our throuples? The reveal of the band managers? Practice? A set up for some fun to happen next chapter? All right here, in Chapter 5!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks, as always, to @darlin_stardust over on Twitter for your insight, support, wonderful beta-ing skills, and being an overall sounding board for this fic.
> 
> I have a few more thanks to hand out this time! Thank you to glutenfreeroach on Twitter for their beta-ing skills as well. Thank you to the KGHN BB 2020 Discord, specifically Aki, Park, Caia, Ava, Juls and the Annas for your support and encouragement! Thank you for sprinting with me and helping me get over this hump of writers block. Y'all are really the best!
> 
> And thank you, my lovely audience, for taking the time to read, but also for your incredible, enduring patience while I struggled with this writers block for the past... *checks watch* two months? Three? I really appreciate every single one of you.
> 
> While this has been beta'd quite a bit, if you find any errors, please feel free to let me know.
> 
> Songs featured this chapter:  
> Freaks - Gregory and The Hawk
> 
> Chapter Title:  
> Hey Jude - The Beatles

Shouyou yawned, stretching his arms above his head, still in his pajamas, as he sat with his band, room mate, and managers. They were having a brunch meeting in regards to their next album and their growth. 

“So, we were thinking we could do another music video. Maybe the new song, ‘Teeth,’ or your crowd favorite, ‘Family.’ What do you guys think?” Yuu was asking. He was seated on the floor criss-cross applesauce, a small notebook on his thigh as he took notes.

“I dunno, I feel like ‘Teeth’ still has kinks to be worked out, and is too new. I don’t think our audience would appreciate a music video for a new song so much as they’d like one for an existing song,” Tadashi said, yawning at the end. It seemed Shouyou’s yawn had caught on, traveling around their circle. 

“But what would a music video for ‘Family’ even look like?” Kenma asked softly from his seat on one of the kitchen chairs. “It’s about you all… would it be home videos spliced together or something?”

“That’s not a bad idea, I’ll mention it to Chikara,” Ryuu said, making a note in his own notebook, which sat on the table next to him. “He had said something about casting some of our friends as a fictional family, but I like your idea better, Kenma.”

“Yeah, if we’re gonna do ‘Family’, I kind of want it to be about  _ our  _ family,” Shouyou said, then nudged Kei’s leg with his bare toes. “What about you? You’ve been awfully quiet, Tsukki.”

Kei sighed, grinning and batting away his foot. “Don’t touch me with your gross toes, I don’t know where they’ve been… I think we should do a music video for ‘Teeth,’ honestly. I mean… big artists… famous artists, like Strix, they release music videos for their new music. We should do the same. Emulate what we want to be. Besides, we could always follow it up with a ‘Family’ music video.”

“You know, I think Tsukki is right, if we want to play on the same field as bigger artists, we have to act like a big artist ourselves,” Hitoka said. 

Yuu noted Hitoka and Kei’s opinions, looking back to Shouyou and Tadashi. “I’m okay with doing ‘Teeth,’ as long as we iron out the kinks first,” Tadashi said, shrugging. 

Shouyou was the only one left who hadn’t assented, and everyone was looking at him. “Only if we can do ‘Family’ at a later time. That song is really sentimental, it deserves a music video…”

Shouyou hadn’t expected his little family to envelope him in hugs and ruffle his hair, laughing. He laughed with them, hugging them back.

“Oh hey, before we forget,” Ryuu said. “We’re talking with someone at Ambition International about getting you guys some features and partnerships.”

“You mean like… the Ambition International that has Strix and DJ Fortitude and Angel Party and--” 

“Yes, yes, that Ambition International,” Yuu interrupted Tadashi.

“How did you get to talk to such a big label?” Shouyou wondered aloud.

“What do you mean how do we get to talk to such a big label, we’re your managers, aren’t we?” Ryuu protested, to which Kenma let out a little huff of a laugh.

“Daichi used to know someone who is now a manager there, and they asked me to get his email and have had me harassing this poor man ever since,” Kenma said. 

“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that, Kenma,” Yuu protested, huffing. 

“Of course you wouldn’t, you have no manners,” Kenma teased back. 

Just then, the sound of keys sliding into the lock could be heard and the door opened, revealing Kenma’s boyfriend, and close friend of the band, Tetsurou Kuroo.

“Hey, sorry I’m late, I had to work a few things out with another lawyer this morning,” he said, rolling his eyes as he took off his shoes. 

Shouyou had to stifle a laugh, as Kenma was already up from the couch and over to Tetsurou, giving him a hug and a little kiss on the cheek. “Welcome home, Kuro,” he murmured.

“Boo, no PDA,” Kei teased, tossing one of Shouyou’s various stuffed animals at the two.

“Like you have room to talk, Tsukki. How many times have I walked into the living room -  _ my  _ living room, in  _ my  _ shared house - to find you sucking face with your partners?”

“Last count was 64 times?” Tadashi said thoughtfully. “Just five more times…”

_ “Nice, _ ” Shouyou hissed.

“Gross, can we get back on topic?” Yuu asked.

“What’s gross about love, Yuu?” Hitoka teased him. 

“Oh, leave me alone, can we  _ please _ just get back to your album?”

“Y’know, Yuu, I’m not sure Asahi would appreciate your blasé attitude toward love,” Ryuu said, getting in on the teasing.

“Yeah? Well, I’m not sure Chikara would appreciate you being an ass to me,” Yuu tossed back, sticking out his tongue like a child.

“Rude,” Ryuu protested.

“Okay, not to break up the fun, but you really do have to get back to work,” Tetsurou said as he sat down with the group, Kenma next to him. “We need to work out the legal details of some of these partnerships. I was able to obtain a copy of Ambition International’s usual contract from Kiyoko so that we could look at it. It was a big favor, so when you all meet her, you better thank her. But, I wanted to get this for you all, in case there was something in it that you didn’t like, so that I could find a way to negotiate around it.”

The band stared at him, speechless.

“Wow, you really actually pulled some strings for real this time,” Kei said, his eyebrows migrating up his forehead into his hair. 

“Hey, I can be useful!”

“Sometimes,” Kei retorted.

Everyone laughed and they spent the rest of the day working through the contract line by line. When the time came, they would be ready.

\--

“Listen, I know this great kid, and he’s got a really talented band. I want to work with him. He doesn’t have an ounce of fame to his name, though,” a man with two-toned, spiked hair was saying into a smartphone. He peered out the window of his penthouse overlooking Tokyo, watching a winter storm roll in over the tops of buildings and billboards that advertised his new self-named album.

“Are you looking to jump start his career or something?” a voice returned over the speaker phone.

“Something like that. He’s a pretty good friend from high school, and nepotism goes a pretty long way in this industry, right?” he laughed. 

“I mean, yes, it does, but it can also ruin your career. Strix can go right in the garbage if this kid isn’t as good as you say he is…” the voice sighed.

“Trust me, he’s as good as I say he is. How can we get him on a track? What do I need to do?” he asked as he breathed heavily on the window pane and drew a crabby caricature of the owner of the voice.

“Does he have an agent or label we can contact?” The owner of the voice sounded like they wanted to bash their head through a window, which made the man grin a bit. He’d won.

“He’s not on a label yet, I’m sure I would’ve heard if he was. As far as I know, their agents are still Ryuunosuke Tanaka and Yuu Nishinoya. Though… you might have to go through Kenma, who is their media manager. He handles their email, if I remember correctly. I’ll text Tetsurou and see,” he said cheerfully.

“Alright, fine, get me their contact info, and I’ll reach out,” the voice said, resigned.

“Thank you! Oh! But tell their managers not to say anything? I wanna ask them myself!”

“Of course you do…”

\--

“--and make sure you’re only using the tips of your fingers. There you go!” Tobio was directing a student athlete when his phone beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out, and seeing the number, called to his team captain, “Watanabe-kun, take them through receiving drills next,” he instructed before stepping away.

_ 3:34 PM From: Shouyou Hinata _

__ _ > Hey weird last minute question but you wanna go to a band practice tonight? _

__ _ > I wanna see you but I don’t have any other time this week… _

__ Tobio’s brows furrowed and he couldn’t help the small grin or the feeling of joy within him. He looked back at his team, and saw two of the players fighting again. “Nakamura-kun, Ito-kun, knock it off, or you’re going to be explaining yourselves to the principal!” he shouted. He shot off a quick text in response to Shouyou.

_ 3:40 PM To: Shouyou Hinata _

__ __ _ > I’d love to _

__ __ _ > Send me the time and address? _

\--

  
  


Tobio was  _ not  _ stressing. He was  _ not. _ He refused to. To the outsider, it would look like he was  _ definitely  _ stressing (He was not). He was seated on his bed, hair dripping wet from the shower, naked save for boxers, clothes strewn out on the floor, more than half of them inside out from being tried on and discarded. But the truth was, he was not stressing  _ at all. _

Hah.

What funny jokes he liked to tell himself. 

What did one even wear to a band practice when they themselves were not a part of the band? He sighed deeply and picked up his best jeans and his comfiest hoodie. If he wasn’t going to look particularly  _ good,  _ he would at least be comfortable. He finished the look off with some sneakers and blow dried his hair (he had long since learned the mistake of having wet hair in the dead of winter), then rubbed a bit of moisturizer on his face. He was putting so much more effort into his appearance than he usually did and it was making him cringe.

“It’s just Shouyou,” Tobio said to himself in the mirror, but even then, he saw color rise to his cheeks and felt his heart skip a beat. Stupid Shouyou with his stupid good looks and halfway decent personality (save for the nervous chattering).

He drew his palm down his face, groaning. He wanted to reach into the mirror and strangle himself.

He needed to stop stalling. He was as good as he was going to be. He fed his cat, left out some milk, turned off the lights in his apartment and left, headed for the address Shouyou had sent him.

\--

The air was brisk that night, but not unpleasant in the least. It was rather mild for the dead of winter as Tobio walked down the empty city street. The sun had long since set, but steam still rose off the pavement as the snow melted. He hadn’t been outside much today, but it must have been nice out, because the pavement was damp with how much snow had melted. He inhaled the near spring like air with a smile and let it go with a soft, happy sigh. He was so content with the weather that he had nearly forgotten to pay attention to his surroundings, and he was surprised when he looked around and he was in what appeared to be a neighborhood of warehouses.

Red brick buildings with metal roofs lined the avenue, one after the other, steel doors facing out to the sidewalks. There was barely an alley between each building. Some had fences enclosing their parking lots, others had great murals, changing the color of the bricks from red to green or black or purple. Some had chalk on their sidewalk advertising sales or events that were happening. Some had lights above their doors, others were dark. Some he could see warmth through the windows, and others stood cold and lonely in the misty night.

Shouyou had been right earlier, though, when he’d texted him and told him he wouldn’t be able to miss their building, or the mural. A great scene of crows flying over a mountain, and the kanji for ‘Fly’ adorned the side of the building. The door had the band’s name and logo on it. The lights were on inside and out, and even from a block away, Tobio could hear the thump of bass and drums alongside the jangle of mixed laughter. 

He made his way to the building faster, a bit of excitement lighting in him. Even without Shouyou, The Crows were his new passion. He had made that promise to himself when he first heard them. Of course he was enthusiastic to hear what they had in the works. He was thrilled to be included, to be considered important enough a friend to Shouyou that he would want his advice on such things. He wasn’t going to admit how happy it made him. But it did. Make him happy.

Tobio took a breath as he came upon it, standing just outside the door. He reached for the door handle, then hesitated. Would this really be okay? He didn’t have such a good way with words all the time. What if he said something wrong? What if his words came across the wrong way? What if… what if…

“Hey, you know, the door isn’t going to open itself, Tobio,” came a familiar voice behind him and he startled, just barely holding in a shout of surprise. He turned to see Daichi Sawamura, the chef from The View.

“O-Oh… hello. I know. I was just… uh…” Tobio wracked his brain for an excuse.

Daichi just smiled. “It’s okay. I was the same way the first time they invited me,” he reassured, his hand clapping over Tobio’s shoulder. “Why don’t we go in together?”

Despite himself, Tobio  _ did  _ feel better from the reassurance, and he found himself nodding. “Yes, okay. Thank you, Daichi.”

Daichi just smiled again and pulled open the door. Tobio was greeted to the site of the band all seated on soft plush pillows atop an area rug on the concrete. String lights were strung through the rafters instead of using the fluorescents that came with the building. Heaters were on each side of the comfy little sitting area, and blankets were in excess. A couch sat on the far side of the area rug, already occupied by Asahi and two men Tobio didn’t recognize. 

“Tobio!” Shouyou called, smiling at him from the carpet and waving. “You came!”   
“Hey, I’m here, too,” Daichi teased as he removed his scarf and coat, hanging it on one of the many eclectic, clearly refurbished coat hangers that stood by the door.

Overall, Tobio found the place… comforting and charming. For some reason, it reminded him of when his mom would make him cookies and they’d eat them fresh out of the oven together. It made him feel oddly sentimental, and it made him smile.

He nodded at Shouyou, also taking off his scarf and coat. “I said I would, didn’t I?” he asked. Despite the reassurances from Daichi and the soothing environment, Tobio was nervous and he fidgeted with his hoodie sleeves, pulling them down over his hands, curling his fingers into the soft material. Tactile materials always helped him with his anxiety, had ever since he was young, and it seemed tonight would be no different. 

He made his way over to the little group, looking over everyone for a moment. Tadashi was at his drum kit, which was set on a corner, but Kei, Hitoka and Shouyou all sat on the floor. Kei’s keyboard was held at a good height for him with pillows stacked up, Hitoka had her bass face up in her lap, and Shouyou sat criss-cross applesauce with his guitar on his knee. Daichi joined the other three on the couch, sitting back and looking comfortable as ever. 

Tobio didn’t know where to sit.

Should he sit next to Shouyou? Would that be too obvious? Should he try to join the couch posse?

“Here!” Shouyou seemed to read his mind and throw down a pillow next to himself. “Sit next to me, Tobio,” he instructed with a smile. Gods, how he’d dreamt about that smile. The pretty face it was on, the soft pink lips, the way it curled around perfect white teeth, the way it made Shouyou’s cheeks look like apples and his eyes crinkle. It made him melt, most certainly. He was almost afraid that he was a puddle on the pillow as he sat beside him. 

“You’re just in time, we’re almost finished warming up,” Shouyou said, leaning over and bumping into him. Tobio could barely take it, he’d forgotten how bad his crush on this handsome man was. Sure, it was almost purely physical right now, but also… just look at Shouyou, it’s kind of hard not to crush on him. Tobio’s heart was pounding so loud he was afraid everyone would hear it, and he just hoped that his face didn’t give away what was happening to him inside.

“I’m excited to hear you play again,” Tobio said honestly, not really sure what to say to that. If there was a flush on his cheeks, he hoped the dim lighting helped hide it. “Are you working on something new?”

“Mhm!” Hitoka answered. “We were gonna pen a new song together!”

“Oh? What’s it about?” Tobio asked curiously, feeling put at ease by her warm smile.

“That’s the fun of, we don’t know yet!” Shouyou answered, beaming at him.

“Or the worst part,” Kei grumbled.

“Oh come on, Tsukki, don’t be grumpy. You don’t hate brainstorming  _ that _ much, do you?” Tadashi teased, reaching out with his foot to tap Kei’s shoulder.

“What is with you people and putting your gross, stinky feet on me?” Kei snapped, playfully batting the foot away.

“Alright, kids, play nice,” said one of the men on the couch, clapping his hands together. It was the one with the pointy, highlighted hair. “The night is burning away, you should get to work.”

“You don’t want to wait for Chikara? I thought you said you wanted him to capture some film of the brainstorming process for the Youtube channel?” Tadashi asked, frowning.

Before the spikey headed man could answer, Shouyou gave a dramatic gasp. “Oh my  _ god,  _ where are my manners?! Tobio!! This is Yuu and Ryuu,” he said, gesturing first to the spikey headed one, then to the bald one. “They’re our managers!”

“Apparently you left your manners at the door, idiot. Don’t interrupt Yuu, come on, dude,” Ryuu said, then spared a glance at Tobio, his lips twisting into a grin that unnerved him. “And, hey, Tobio! Glad to have you along as our first groupie!”

Yuu grinned at him as well. “If you leak anything, we’ll have to sue you,” he said.

Tobio gaped, unsure of what to say. Did these guys really think he would leak anything? He tried a few times to come up with a response, but just wound up looking like a troubled fish.

Fortunately, a hand on Yuu’s knee and a soft chastisement from Asahi kept him from having to answer.

Meanwhile, Kei was giving Yuu a death glare that Tobio was glad he was not on the receiving end of. He eventually huffed and looked to the rest of his band. “Let’s get started, why don’t we?”

“Did you have any lyrics written yet, Shouyou?” Tadashi asked, leaning forward as Shouyou pulled out a little journal. Tobio peeked over his shoulder a bit, curious, and found dozens of phrases written out on the pages, some scribbled out, others circled multiple times, and still others with question marks and corrections surrounding them. Some were clearly written in Shouyou’s hand, but he could pick out at least four or five different scripts.

“So, I have the chorus and melody, and I’ve written a couple of verses myself, but that’s all I’ve got.”

“How does it go?” Hitoka asked, also leaning over to look at the book. Kei snatched it from Shouyou’s hands, looking it over quickly and handing it to Hitoka before starting to play around on the keys a bit. 

“We’ll have you wrapped around our trigger finger, queen bee yellow, you’re the skin for our stinger,” Hitoka read out.

Kei came in with a simple melody, and Shouyou began to sing. “We’ll make you swoon, make you hurt just a little. We’re the boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle.”

“Boys and the girls and the freaks in the middle,” Hitoka echoed him, then nodded. “I think I get it. That’s pretty easy. The whole chorus goes like that?”

“Mhm. I was thinking we would do three and three.”

“Do you have an idea of the direction you wanna go for the verses?” Kei asked, looking over what Shouyou had written and scratched out so far.

“So, the chorus is kinda easy, right. I want people to sing along. The verses… I mean I think it would be cool if they were like… supportive but sexy. Something like,” Shouyou said, then sang, “If you come along with us, the doors are never ending. If you wanna rule the world you gotta stop pretending.” He sighed a bit and shook his head. “It needs something more.”

“What about like… We have the cure for your crisis, never patent pending” Hitoka sang briefly. “Then like… in the next line, the, If you come along with us, the doors are never ending.”

“That could work… I’m not sure I wanna make it sound so vicious in the first verse though…”

“That could be the second or third verse,” Tadashi said, looking it over. “I dunno, I think it sounds good, though…”

Shouyou wrote down the lyrics and circled them, then put a star next to them. Tobio watched the band with fascination. It was so interesting to see them come together and collaborate. 

“Um… what are the… verses? What are they supposed to sound like? Like, I know you just sang it, but I guess I mean like the instrument part?” Tobio asked, unsure of himself but wanting to be useful. 

Shouyou smiled at him and Tobio’s uncertainty melted away. “Yeah, it's supposed to be kind of bass-y and sensual. So.. like…” Shouyou played a thump-y, driving bass on his guitar, which Hitoka picked up on her bass. “Yeah, like that.”

Tobio nodded, listening. “I’m not the best with words… or singing. But uh… it’s kind of… sexy? So maybe…We have a plan… a plan? Yeah. We have a plan for your liberation,” Tobio spoke more than sang, but kept good tempo. “You’ll only have to blur the lines on a few occasions” His face twisted into a frown. “Sorry, that’s where I kinda lose it.”

“Oh my god…” Kei said, sounding almost offended.

Tobio looked up, worried he’d overstepped a boundary, but he was met with faces full of admiration.

“That’s…” Shouyou was beaming at him. “That’s really good. How did it go again?”

Tobio grinned back at him, going it over again. 

They all spent the rest of the practice workshopping lyrics, Tobio meeting Chikara halfway through the session, when he showed up with a camera. They continued until they couldn’t think straight anymore. Tadashi was the one to call it, getting up out of his seat and dramatically throwing himself into Kei’s lap. Tobio couldn’t help a little chuckle.

“Ugh, my brain is mush. Food!” Tadashi complained, making Asahi and Daichi chuckle as well.

“Ngh, you’re heavy, get off me,” Kei protested, though he held him closer and kissed his nose. It was so affectionate that Tobio had to look away. However, that now had him looking into Shouyou’s beautiful amber eyes and his smiling face.

“Wh-what?” Tobio stammered as Shouyou grin widened.

“Thank you for helping us, really. You’re not even a band member, but you put so much work into this with us,” Shouyou said, his voice soft and warm, a bit gruff and scratchy after all the work he put it through. Tobio did  _ not  _ blush. He didn’t. He  _ didn’t.  _ (He did.)

“Well, you invited me, I wanted to at least be useful…” Tobio mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck a bit. 

“You were! Actually… you were really helpful. Could we list you as a lyricist as well?”

Tobio blinked, and this time he  _ definitely _ blushed. “What? I mean… you don’t… You shouldn’t, I just threw a couple of words in, you did all the hard work…”

Shouyou just smiled and shook his head. “You did just as much work.”

“I…” Shouyou wasn’t going to let this go, he could tell by the look in his eye. Tobio ducked his head and rubbed his neck again. “Sure. If you want to.” He wasn’t expecting the hug to knock him over.

“Thanks, Tobio!! Are you gonna come to breakfast with us? It’s…” Shouyou checked his watch and visibly paled. 

“What… what is it, is everything okay?” Tobio asked, worried by the look on Shouyou’s face.

“Oh my god, it’s three in the morning and it’s a Thursday and you have to teach children in like… five hours, I’m so sorry, Tobio,” Shouyou cried, looking apologetic.

Tobio just laughed and shook his head. “I actually figured it might be a late night, so I’ve already got a substitute lined up…”

Shouyou brightened at that. “Oh! So you’ll come to breakfast then?” he asked, tugging Tobio’s arm.

“Gods, Shou, let him go, you’re gonna shake out all his brain cells and then he definitely won’t be able to teach,” Kei called, laughing a bit.

“Yes, I’ll come,” Tobio assured him, and he swore by the look on Shouyou’s face, it was like he had hung the moon and stars for him. If he was being honest… having Shouyou look at him like that more often wouldn’t be so bad. “I just can’t stay super late, though, it’s a pretty long trek home…”

“Oh… My apartment isn’t far from The View. Just come back to my place. I can take the couch,” Shouyou said, but before he even finished, Tobio was shaking his head.

“No, I couldn’t take your bed…” he protested. He couldn’t for many reasons. The first being that it was impolite. The rest being ‘ _ Ohmygod I can’t sleep in Shouyou’s bed surrounded by his scent are you kidding me?!’  _ Yeah. That wasn’t going to work out.

Shouyou just rolled his eyes. “Fine, then I’ll make up the couch for you instead,” he retorted. “You’re staying over.” 

Tobio sighed, but it seemed as though Shouyou had decided he’d had the final word on the matter. Tobio was weak to the pout on Shouyou’s lips right now, so if he relented… could anyone blame him?

\--

They walked to The View from the warehouse space, the band rather loud for three in the morning, joking and laughing. Somewhere in the middle of their practice, Tobio had started to feel like he belonged there, like he was a friend as much as the rest of them were friends with each other. He found himself smiling as he watched Shouyou goad Kei into a race down to the end of the block and back. He was so relaxed even, that when he heard Daichi’s voice from beside him unexpectedly, he managed not to startle.

“How are you feeling, now? About all of this? Any better?” Daichi asked him, warm and caring.

Tobio nodded. “A lot better… they have a way of putting people at ease, I think. As people, and in their music, really. I was pretty worried I was gonna stick my foot in my mouth but instead, I wound up helping?” Tobio could hardly believe it, still, and he’d lived it.

Daichi laughed. “I felt the exact same way when they first invited me along. We’d just been kind of casual friends up until then, they had played at The View a few times. I think it was just after the first time I’d succumbed to Shouyou and fed them all breakfast that they invited me.”

Tobio listened with fascination as Daich reminisced, attention totally locked on him. He was thrilled to hear anything about how this rag-tag group of friends had come together. It all seemed so unlikely, considering the differing personality types.

“They at least had the kindness to invite Asahi at the same time, because then like, I had someone to be nervous  _ with,  _ you know? We’d already fallen in love with their music the way you have and we thought… certainly they couldn’t  _ really  _ want a bunch of no-talent, no-musical-background schmucks hanging around their practice.” Daichi sighed and shook his head.

“They’re not at all like that, though,” Tobio finished, grinning a bit and nodding. 

“Exactly. They valued our opinions and feedback, even going so far as to implement it. We were never brave enough to help them pen a song,” Daichi teased him, “but they explained it that we’re like every other listener. We know what sounds good to a normal audience. They’re not writing for people who know music. They’re writing for us. Me, and you, and Asahi, and every patron at whatever bar they’re at. Our feedback was important to them because of that.”

Daichi shrugged at him and laughed a little. “Besides that, like you said earlier, they’re great at putting people at ease. They’re genuinely good kids. And so are you, Tobio.”

Tobio rolled his eyes a little and shook his head. “You’re only a few years older than me.”

“And thus, you are a child.”

Tobio just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again, as always, for reading my work!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always, always appreciated, and I will do my best to respond to every comment I get.
> 
> Please follow me on Twitter @PrinceZale18 to watch me retweet anything and everything HQ, to hear me yell about this AU and others, and to see me be a complete and utter goober with my friends.
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**Author's Note:**

> Maybe follow me on Twitter (@PrinceZale18) and yell with me about this AU or volleyboys or D&D?
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> I would also super love to hear opinions or feedback so please comment? I love you <3


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